Heating and cooling unit for buildings



Feb. 18, 1936. G. W.SAATHOFF HEATING AND cooLING UNIT -FON BUILDINGS Filed OCT.. 26, 1934 Patented Feb. 18, 1936 HEATING AND COOLING UNIT FOR BUILDINGS George W. Saathoi, South Orange, N. J., as-

signor to Doherty Research Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application October 26, 1934, Serial No. 750,065

2 Claims.

This invention relates to air conditioning systems, and more particularly to an limproved method of and apparatus for Ventilating and heating or cooling buildings.

An important object of the invention is to provide a ventilation system for buildings according to Which each room or unit space in the building has an individual air conditioning unit.

Another object of the invention is to provide an air conditioning system in which the temperature of the air is raised in winter land lowered in summer by indirect heat transfer with a circulating fluid-such as Water.

Hot Water is an ideal medium to use for heating indirectly the air employed in Ventilating a building, because of its high heat capacity and conductivity. ,For the same reason cold water is an ideal medium to use for cooling 'by indirect heat transfer the air employed for ventilation of a blinding.

A particular object of the invention is to provide method and apparatus for conditioning air in which circulating Water may be used as a heat transfer medium for either heating or cooling the air, and in which the system employed in heating is also employed, with relativelyv simple modification, for cooling.

With the above and other objects and features in view, the invention consists in the improved method of and apparatus for Ventilating, heating and' cooling buildings which is hereinafter described and more particularly dened in the accompanying claims.

' A preferred arrangement of the apparatus forminga part of the invention is illustrated in y haust line 60.

the accompanying drawing,'which shows somewhat diagrammatically, with parts in vertical section and parts in elevation, the arrangement of multiple air conditioning units and Water heating and cooling system which make up the apparatus.

In the drawing a small portion of a building is shown, includingan outside wall I0, a basement I2 having a floor I4, and the first and second floors I6 and I8 above the basement, with windows 20 opening into the rooms of each floor. In each room or suite of rooms of the building there is at least one individual air conditioning unit 22 which may consist, as shown in the drawing, of a form of radiator housing 24 mounted beneath a window 20. Each air conditioning unit 22 consists essentially of the housing 24 within which there is mounteda radiator 26 andan air circulating fan 28. An air inlet 30 is formed in the front walll of the housing to permit circulation amounts of fresh 'air and recirculated air from the room` are drawn by fan suction over the radiator 26, and the conditioned air is then forced under positive fan pressure into the room through outlet register 32.

The radiators 26 illustrated are the air temperature conditioning elements of a closed water circulating system which includes a circulating pump 40, pipe coil 42 mounted in a pressure resistant heat exchange tank 44, together with an expansion tank 46 having van overflow vent 48 at the top of the circuit, and circulating feed-and returnl pipes 50 and 5I connecting pump 40, coil 42, and radiators 26 in closed circuit. A water supply pipe 52 is provided to introduce make-up water to the circuit above described.

' IFor the purpose of supplying heat to the system above described, the heat exchange tank 44 is provided with a valved'` inlet pipe 54 through which `a. heating iiuid, preferably steam, may be introduced into tank 44 in direct heat exchange relation with coils 42 of the water circulating sys-- tem. Temperatures within tank 44 are regulated by the steam pressure maintained therein. Condensate is removed from a sump 56 located in the bottom of tank 44 through a. discharge pipe 58 and thence out ofthe system through a valved ex- For the purpose of cooling the Ventilating air for the building during warm weather, the same water circulating system and air conditioning units are employed, but the tank 44 is equipped for operation as an evaporation cooling unit.

For this purpose a.y suction pump 62 is provided having its inlet connected by a valved pipe 64 with the interior of tank-44. 'I'he discharge side of pump 62 is connected by pipe 64 with a condenser 66. A second suction pump 68 is also preferably mounted in the air discharge pipe III from 4 pumps 62 and 68 and condenser 66 are placed in 'operation and communicably connected with tank 44 by opening valve 90 in pipe 64. The water circulating through the air conditioning system including radiators 26 is cooled during its passage through the coils 42 in tank 44 owing to the evaporation of some of the water which is projected into the tank and over the coils through sprays 16. The temperature which is maintained in tank 44 is regulated by controlling the degree of vacuum impressed on the tank by pumps 62 and 68. Water vapor which is removed from the tank through the suction line 64 is condensed in condenser 66 and discharged from the system through pipe 14. The water which is not evaporated in tank 44 has its temperature lowered by y The illustrated embodiment of the invention explains the principles of apparatus design and air conditioning operation which have formed the basis for a successful system now operating in a large oice building. For tall oflice buildings several water circulating circuits are preferably used, each of which includes in its zone all of the radiators 26 on a plurality of floors of the building. While water is the preferred heat transfer medium, other liquids, such as oil, may be used to advantage in particular installations.

The invention having been thus described, what is claimed as new is:

1. Apparatus for heating and cooling buildings comprising, an air conditioning chamber, a radiator mounted in said chamber in the path of air owing therethrough, a heat exchanger having coils therein, water circulating tubes connecting the coils of said heat exchanger in closed circuit with said radiator and with a circulating pump, means for introducing a heating fluid into said heat exchanger around said coils, means for spraying water into said heat exchanger around said coils, and a vacuum pump having its inlet connected to said heat exchanger whereby water may be evaporated within said heat exchanger.

2. A water heating and cooling system for buildings including a plurality of radiators, an evaporation chamber, a pipe coil heat exchanger mounted within said evaporation chamber, a water circulating pump, an expansion chamber, circulating tubes connecting the radiator, pipe coil, pump and expansion chamber in a closed circuit, a valved steam supply pipe connected to discharge into said chamber, a vacuum pump having its inlet communicably connected to said chamber, a spray device mounted in the upper part of said chamber, a liquid removal pipe connected to the bottom of said chamber, a radiating element connected to said removal pipe, and means including a second circulating pump and tubing communicably connecting said removal pipe and radiating element in closed circuit with the spray device and chamber.

GEQRGE W. SAATHOFF. 

